Buckeye Big Brother Program

[Buckskin86]

Freshmen football players benefit from ?big brother? program at OSU
By Blake Williams
[email protected]
Published: Monday, November 15, 2010

Adjusting to college life can be a daunting task for any freshman. For those whose first quarter of classes coincides with their first season of college football, it's even more difficult.

"Being a freshman here is a tough thing," said OSU defensive tackle John Simon.

To ease the transition from high school to college, the football staff instituted a program in fall 2006 that pairs an incoming freshman with a "big brother" on the team.

"The older guy just looks after the younger guy and calls him if he needs help ? getting situated," Simon said.

There is no formula for determining the brothers ? the decision is up to the coaching staff.

"I think it mostly goes by position, but whoever they assign for you, you got," Simon said.

Coach Stan Jefferson, who serves as director of player development and runs the program, had more insight.

"It could be by position, it could be by if they are from the same state, it could be if there's a situation where we just feel that those two people will work well together," he said. "We try to get a total staff input."

Though communication among brothers is encouraged, the level of involvement between players is up to the individuals, defensive back Donnie Evege said.

Because most freshmen do not have cars, big brothers often get calls to give their little brothers rides to team events.

They also go to the movies, the mall or other social activities together.

Cont....

http://www.thelantern.com/sports/fr...fit-from-big-brother-program-at-osu-1.1777392

 

[Buckskin86]

Ohio State football: Freshmen want to be stripped of stripes
By Tim May
The Columbus Dispatch Saturday August 11, 2012

Jonathan Quilter | DISPATCH
A black stripe indicates a freshman who has yet to come of age.

On most college football teams, a player has to earn his stripes. But at Ohio State under first-year coach Urban Meyer, new players are trying to earn the right to lose their stripe.

A thin strip of black tape that runs over the middle of the helmet gives the gray headgear an Oakland Raiders-like look. But it means the wearer is considered to be the little brother of a designated upperclassman on the team.

?The symbolism of it is defining them as a freshman,? said junior center Corey Linsley, whose little brother is freshman lineman Joey O?Connor. ?When they become a grown man, as we?re always talking about, that?s when there will be kind of a ceremony in which the stripe is removed.?

The program is not about hazing, something Meyer abhors. It?s why he introduced the stripe idea at his first head coaching job at Bowling Green in 2001.

?I wanted to put them through a ritual to become a member of the team, but not allow hazing,? Meyer said. ?They had to earn it the right way, not through hazing and silly, dangerous stuff. They had to earn the right on the football field and by being accountable.

?And it took off. It?s been a hit ever since every place we?ve been.?

The first to lose the stripe among the OSU freshmen was safety De?van Bogard, whose big brother, senior safety Orhian Johnson, removed it during a team function earlier in the week.

?But we?ve never been about hazing here,? Linsley said. ?We?ve never been about dogging the underclassmen or anything like that.?

He accepted O?Connor as a bona fide member of the team from the start this summer.

?Joey is a great guy, and he?s going to be a heck of a player,? Linsley said. ?I?m really excited to mentor him, help show him what being a player means around here on and off the field, and forge a relationship down the road.?

cont...

http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/stories/2012/08/11/freshmen-want-to-be-stripped-of-stripes.html

 

[Buckskin86]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDqBiXUnZLY"]Ohio State All-Access: Big Brother - YouTube[/ame]

 

[darbypitcher22]

This was a pretty funny segment during the gameday show this afternoon. Seems like a wonderful program that all can learn from